Poland

Senate

Political system
Presidential-Parliamentary
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes

Election results

Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections.

Background

Election date(s)
25 Oct 2015
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature
11 Nov 2015
Timing of election
Upon normal expiry
Number of seats at stake
100
Scope of elections
Full renewal

Candidates

Number of parties contesting the election
24

Notes: Number of parties contesting the election: 24. In addition, 88 groups of voters submitted electoral lists.

Total number of candidates
423
Number of male candidates
365
Number of female candidates
58
Percentage of women candidates
13.7%

Voter turnout

Registered voters
30,629,150
Voters
15,593,033
Voter turnout
50.9%

Results

About the election

After eight years in opposition, the Law and Justice (PiS) led by Mr. Jaroslaw Kaczynski returned to power, winning an outright majority in both the 460-member Sejm and the 100-member Senate. The PiS, which endorsed Ms. Beata Szydlo as its premiership candidate, became the first party in the country's post-communist era to win enough seats to govern on its own. Outgoing Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz of the Civic Platform (PO) conceded defeat. On 13 November President Andrzej Duda, a former PiS member, tasked Ms. Szydlo with forming a new government.

The 2015 elections were the first to be held under President Duda who defeated the incumbent President, Bronislaw Komorowski (independent, endorsed by the PO), in the May 2015 presidential elections. Elections took place amid the ongoing migration crisis in Europe. In September, President Duda argued against a German-backed quota system for taking in migrants, saying decisions should remain voluntary at the country level. The government, led by the pro-EU PO, decided to take in 7,000 migrants between 2016 and 2017. During the election campaign, the major opposition parties, including the PiS, spoke out against the decision. Other electoral issues included child care benefits, tax cuts and the retirement age. The PiS promised to repeal the 2012 law that raised the retirement age to 67 and to return the retirement age to 60 for women and 65 for men. It also ruled out adoption of the euro in the near future.

The 2015 elections followed a referendum on 6 September on three issues, including the introduction of single-member constituencies for the Sejm. Although over 78 per cent of voters were in favour of single-member constituencies, only 7.8 per cent of some 30 million eligible voters took part in the referendum. Referendum results in Poland are legally binding only if over 50% of eligible voters take part.

Number of parties winning seats
3
Percentage of parties winning seats
12.5%
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition
61.0%
Alternation of power after elections
Yes
Number of parties in government
3
Names of parties in government
Law and Justice (PiS), Poland Together, and United Poland.

Poland Together and United Poland won seats under PiS tickets in the 2015 elections. They are in PiS parliamentary caucus.

Parties or coalitions winning seats

Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political group Total
Law and Justice (PiS) 61
Civic Platform (PO) 34
Independents 4
Polish Peasant Party (PSL) 1
Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
87
Number of women elected
13
Percentage of women elected
13.0%
Women Directly Elected
13
Sources

Senate (13.11.2015, 01.01.2017)

Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza

Polish Press Agency

BBC

New legislature

Total number of men after the election
87
Total number of women after the election
13
Percentage of women after the election
13.0%
First-term parliamentarians
31
Percentage of first-term parliamentarians
31.0%
Date of the first session
12 Nov 2015

First Speaker of the new legislature

Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature
Stanisław Karczewski (Male)
Date of birth: 1955
Political party
Law and Justice (PiS)
Date of election
12 Nov 2015

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No